A living reminder to help those in Haiti

Thursday

Feb 25, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 9, 2014 at 5:24 PM

The Tri-Cities recently saw an up close case of survival from the devastating earthquake in Haiti.Jean Andy Ganot of Haiti in Port-Au-Prince on Jan. 12 when a 7.1 Richter earthquake struck the capital of Haiti. He was driving when the quake struck. "I

The Tri-Cities recently saw an up close case of survival from the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Jean Andy Ganot of Haiti in Port-Au-Prince on Jan. 12 when a 7.1 Richter earthquake struck the capital of Haiti. He was driving when the quake struck. "I thought it was a flat tire or strong winds," Ganot says. "The car started going all over the road and it was like it was on waves in the ocean."

The power lines and trees along the side of the road were shaking and suddenly buildings started to fall as well. That's when he and a friend left the car in the middle of the road. "We started trying to call family, but the phones weren't working," Ganot said

Ganot, 33, and his friend then made their way to the friend's house where they discovered he had lost everything. "Everything was gone, his brother was dead."

Ganot wanted to stay in Haiti and help but his father commanded him to get help from elsewhere. So Ganot, who is now living in Petersburg with an aunt, boarded a bus and rode nearly an hour and a half to the border with the Dominican Republic. From there it was another six hours to Santo Domingo 160 miles away, the nearest functional airport for commercial airlines.

He eventually ended up here in Petersburg with his aunt Junie Gaboton. She knows of at least three cousins who have died and one that is still missing.

On Sunday, she drove the same amount of time - six hours - to travel to New York to pick him up from John F. Kennedy Airport at 3 a.m. "It just takes your breath away," Gaboton said. She said that seeing images of the capital city completely flattened leave her speechless.

Ganot believes that the country will rebuild and better than what was there before. "I hope that this time they'll be able to rebuild better," Ganot said. He added that with Haitians in other countries returning to the country to lend a helping hand it could do just that. "A lot of knowledge is out there. It can become a better place and a better country."

Ganot said that he's hoping to soon return to the country with as much aid as possible and to assist in the relief efforts, but he knows that still may take much time. He plans to start collection efforts, to get things that are most needed and hopefully send them back home.

Ganot provides an example of survival, and to some extent luck. But more importantly, Ganot provides a reminder that the people of Haiti still need help. Have you contributed to a Haitian relief fund? If you haven't, now is the time. If you have, perhaps you can still help. Any amount, even $5 or $10, will go a long way to helping those in need.

Some places to contribute include:

- The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, featuring former Presidents Bill Clinton George W. Bush has been the semi-official government arm for contributions. One hundred percent of your donation will go toward relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. Information can be found at http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/

- The American Red Cross has so far spent or allocated $80 million to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti. Information can be found at http://www.redcross.org/haiti. You can also contribute $10 by texting "HAITI" to 90999.

Remember, the people of Haiti - and Jean Andy Ganot - are counting on you.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Submit Content

Market Place

Social Media

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Progress-Index ~ 15 Franklin Street, Petersburg, VA 23803 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service